â I DON'T CARE THAT YOU HAVEN'T REBLOGGED IT YET WHEN U DO IM GONAN BE HERE
PKâ â /10 [star status achieved! X2!] with a healthy side of ?????
âRemember you made that promise that youâd never leave me way back when? And yeah, okay, I know that happened, but Iâm still gonna hold it to you, yeah?â
So Athena Iâm not entirely sure how or when we decided Rover and PK should have a thread, just that it was going to involve a guitar and they were going to ROCK OUT, but then something neither of us expected blossomed from a five minute interaction. If Iâm remembering correctly, this entire thing started off when Rover was walking down the hall and heard some music playing from the radio room â obviously, heâs going to follow it. Why wouldnât he? So he gets there and hovers by the door and watches this pretty girl play on her guitar, completely obvious to him standing there. He even turned down his own music so he could hear it better. The entire thing was very much like the start of a romance movie, and had his voice not been as high pitched as it was, even his first comment would have been smooth.
But then PK grabs her whiteboard and starts writing, and the second she does Roverâs gut drops and his heart sinks and heâs suddenly TRAPPED, heâs considering just BOLTING IT and forgetting this even happened, that he even stopped to talk to her, and thatâs not because she canât talk, but because he doesnât know how to read Japanese (or barely, heâd need to sit down and concentrate for a long time). It doesnât matter that she canât talk â that never mattered to Rover, because some people are just different, and that doesnât mean anything (see: his limbs), but the fact that he might not be able to understand her one way of communicating sits in his stomach the wrong way. Itâs not like he wouldnât try, but he just doesnât want to be a pain. He doesnât want her to get tired of him sitting and very slowly trying to read out each word out, and like just generally being really inconvenient? So theyâre both mildly freaking out, PK because he looks lost and is scared he wonât understand her, and Rover that heâs going to be too much trouble to deal with in general, and then like a second later PK writes really awful English and the tension.. very, very slowly ebbs off.. And Rover covers all his nerves with rambles, getting off topic and confusing himself.
He doesnât get too far into the conversation before PK quite suddenly and without much warning to why takes his wrist and pulls him, sets him down in the chair she was just sitting in. And he freaks out, albeit silently, because nobody is allowed to touch his hand or wrist or even really his arm if weâre getting really into it, and heâs already on an edge because of the white board thing (yeah, sheâs writing in English, but she clearly isnât good at it, so sheâs probably thinking how much easier it would be if he just could read Japanese), so PANIC, CONFUSION, FEAR,
AND THEN ??? HEâS PLAYING THE GUITAR ???
Lots of emotions very quickly, lots of feelings that I probably donât really need to get into because itâs pretty clear?? Like itâs one thing if heâd lost his limbs and stopped being able to play the guitar, but this is the first time heâs playing, the first time anything like this has happened. So OBVIOUSLY heâs getting emotional, and then PK writes a little thing to him, one that he only actually ends up reading up to âyou can do anything you wantâ and heâs looking away and rubbing his eyes..
Which is? So nice⊠thatâs so, so nice to say to him⊠heâs grown up trying to convey that message through his actions, to prove heâs able to do just as much as anyone who has two arms and two legs. But itâs hard, because at the end of the day he canât. Like he physically CANâT. And it SUCKS to have to accept that, so he.. REFUSES to accept that. He tells himself over and over and over again that he can do whatever he puts his mind to, but thereâs always reminders of how WRONG he is. Hearing it from someone else is literally the. Very best. Especially after what she just did for him. It means a lot to him.Â
SO PK HAS SKYROCKETED TO THE VERY TIP TOP OF HIS LIST. They hang out for a bit after that, going up to her room to watch the Lego Star Wars on the little televisions they have up there, only to find they donât ACTUALLY work, so instead they just sit on her bed and munch on snacks and chat about random things. Everything is? Really nice and cool and Roverâs PRETTY PUMPED about the whole deal because FRIENDSHIP⊠his nerves about the language stuff has faded away because she genuinely looks EXCITED to be able to talk to him, so awesome!!
A couple days later, after the first motive, PK and Rover decide on a whim they want to STEAL A DEER HEAD so they can mount it on Roverâs door because why the hell not. They meet up with Cerys and Yoshiki on the way down, who both just so happened to be looking for taxidermy, and then WHAM A BODY
Which was a big sort of revelation that oh GOD this is REAL. THIS KID JUST DIED RIGHT HERE, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, I WAS TALKING TO HIM A SECOND AGO? HOLY SHIT. So he freezes and PK panics, and she drags him away while heâs still processing whatâs going on, and they both sink to the floor a few paces away and PK grabs his sweater and SOBS, and thatâs what snaps him back. Â
âŠ.Snaps him into realizing a few things at once actually.
First just confirming that he didnât just make this up, that PK was distressed and upset so it HAD to be real, and then just what she was doing? That sheâd tried to distance him and pull his gaze away from the body, TRIED to help him and protect him and that now she is SOBBING against him like?? Holy shit thatâs never happened to him before? Heâs usually the person sobbing, and now this girl, this small girl is holding him and crying her HEART OUT from fear and loss and even though heâs too shaken to really speak Japanese to her, he tries his VERY BEST to be a support to her?
SOMEONE IS CRYING AGAINT /HIM/, SOMEONE NEEDS /HIS/ COMFORT.. THIS IS.. REALLY HUGE!! THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED!! She sparks this almost like⊠hero-adrenaline and DETERMINATION to PROTECT her. He gets super defensive, super protective, super ATTACHED. He makes a shaky promise that heâll make sure sheâs okay, and then NORIAKI approaches. PKâs mentioned his name a few times, but he doesnât really have an opinion on him? But right now the idea that heâs got to PROTECT PK FROM EVERYONE is pretty dominate in his head, so it doesnât really matter that PK is friends with him, Rover still doesnât TRUST him. He squints, eyes him, and even though he agrees that they all investigate together, when Rover races around to investigate heâs always racing back and giving PK hugs and making sure this STRaNGER hasnât done anything to her.
The investigation goes on and then. And then Rover discovers Noriaki is the murderer. Itâs PKâs friend that killed Yoshiki, and heâs already made it up in his mind that he canât just LET this guy go, he KILLED someone, and even though heâs PKâs friend he canât⊠he canât give him the go-free card. By the end of their conversation Rover feels ANYTHING but great. Heâs kind of likes Noriaki now, but heâs going to have to reveal heâs the murderer, and more importantly for this star is. is whatâs PK going to think? Whatâs PK going to think when she starts defending Noriaki during the trial but itâs ROVER who will confirm everything in the end, that will essentially get Noriaki caught? Heâs doing this to PROTECT her, isnât he? But why does it feel wrong?
Noriaki and Rover made a promise. A promise that revolved around PK. To make sure sheâs okay, that because Noriaki might not be around anymore after this, that Roverâs going to have to look out for her.
And itâs true â Noriaki is killed and Rover backs up into the very far corner of the elevator and pulls his headphones up to his ears and tries not to hyperventilate. When the door opens up again it takes him a few moments to gather himself, remember that promise, and make a break for it. He searches the entire lodge looking for her, barely able to keep HIMSELF composed, reminding himself over and over and over again that he needs to PROTECT PK he needs to BE THERE for PK, and when he finds her in the freezer his heart,, totally sinks,,
He has no idea what to do. How is he suppose to protect her? Or⊠did he even protect her? He caught the murderer like he said he would, but that ended up hurting PK so⊠was it right? Did he do good? He can barely keep himself together right now, but he he has to try and keep a promise (and he⊠he promised her, too, didnât? That he would make sure she was okay?) with the guy he just PRETTY MUCH KILLED and how does he even know if PK hates him or not?? He crosses the freezer and slides down into the spot next to her and he tries to form words but in the end he. He has nothing. He apologizes, tells her he isnât good with stuff, apologizes again and⊠and she gets up and holds out a hand for him and they both just go up to either his room or her room and they PROBABLY JUST CRY LMAO
But after that theyâre like. Glued to each other. They sleep curled up in the same bed and PK teaches him sign and when they arenât hanging around each other, if they see each other in passing then they wave and sign hellos and itâs NICE⊠ITâS REALLY NICEâŠ
And then he picks the night after motives to not sleep with her. Sheâs run off somewhere, talking to someone, out of her room, SOMETHING but sheâs not around when heâs tried so he just goes to sleep and when he wakes up
PK is dead.
SHEâS DEAD. LIKE?? ?
It doesnât register. Because? What the hell? Like honestly IâM writing this star and this feels WAY TOO SUDDEN⊠Everything was good and they were supporting one another and SHE JUST DIES. ITâS LIKE SOMEONE JUST CUT THIS OFF.. And like I think itâs the same kind of deal with Rover? That he isnât REGISTERING THIS. He walks up to her body and tugs at her sleeve and asks if this is a joke because? This has to be a joke. SHE CANâT, SHE..
AND HE CRACKS, OF COURSE HE DOES, AND HEâS JUST?? NO!! NO NO NO NO NO NO!! NO SHE CANâT BE DEAD HE HAD PROMISES TO KEEP HE WAS SUPPOSE TO KEEP HER SAFE HE⊠THE ONE DAY HE DIDNâT⊠IF HE JUST WENT TO FIND HER WHEN HE WAS TIRED THEN MAYBEâŠ. Her body is taken down and Rover holds her and just BAWLS for a good chunk of time, only eventually pulls away because he HAS to find her killer he HAS to put her death to justice HEâŠ. but it still really hasnât CLICKED, like sure itâs her body, and yes he cried over it as a natural reaction, but his mind hasnât really completely wrapped its head around the fact that there is no more PK. That when this investigation is over he wonât get to hang out with PK. Sheâs gone, and he doesnât completely understand that.Â
They donât end up finding her killer, and Rover doesnât know what think. He⊠let her down, didnât he? Her killer is still around to kill someone ELSE, which?? Man he has NO IDEA what to think, so he distracts himself with the fact the lodge is now open and he can SEE THE STARS. He sits out and stares at them all night long, until his neck hurts and he has to lie down on the ground instead. He tries not to think about PK, because if he does he starts getting confused and upset and FRUSTRATED with himself. But yeah he just distracts himself the best he can, probably passes out when heâs EXHAUSTED so he doesnât have to think about the fact heâs now not sharing a bed with anyone anymore. He talks to Bopper Raspberry mostly, because if Rover couldnât keep one promise to Noriaki, and a promise to PK, maybe then at least he can keep a promise to a fish. Bopper probably knew all of Roverâs spoilers like. right off the bat. he just GETS EVERYTHING OFF HIS CHESTâŠ.
So then Rover dies.Â
(and he breaks his promise with BOPPER NOW)
The first person that shows up at his door is⊠PK! âŠPK? WAIT YEAH PK SHEâS ALIVE!! AND SHE CAN TALK? WHATEVER SHEâS ALIVE!! Heâs like? Heâs got this really weird feeling about whatâs going on, and PKâs clearly upset by something, but AGAIN, HE JUST DISTRACTS HIMSELF, because NOTHING MATTERS asides from the fact that it was just a dream (lol), PK is fine!! PK is fine. Only she doesnât really last that long and she just starts CRYING and admits that heâs actually dead, that theyâre both dead, and Rover like. HAHA NO WEâRE NOT. WEâRE PERFECTLY FINE.
(Which is? honestly less that he wants to deny that sheâs dead, but more of the fact that that means that HE is dead, and HE canât be dead, no way! not today! not yet! that means heâs been taken away from his parents and! nope!)Â
PK passes out from previous stress and this stress and he picks her up in a really awkward?? One arm/half-arm thing and carries her into his room, sets her down in a chair and covers her with his star blanket. Itâs around this time the trial has ended so he like?? Has started to remember things, and all this anger and hurt is starting to bubble in him, but he still takes a second to just. Pause and stare at her and let his chest sort of swell up because sheâs HERE, and okay maybe heâs dead but for like one second before the rage really hits him he reaches out and brushes her bangs out of her face and very briefly considers kissing her forehead like sheâs done to him before but just NAH and leaves. He confronts Hibiki and Suffers in Many Ways and they donât see each other until the next trial.Â
And next trial comes around and itâs⊠oh GOD CERYS⊠and PK FLIPS OUT FOR GOOD REASON?? Sheâs by the elevator crying and panicking but Rover canât go over to help her because he canât leave Ayaâs side right now, she JUST died, she NEEDS him, Rover has to be there for her, so he shoots Noriaki a glare, an order to go comfort her, but HE DOESNâT THANKS NORIAKI⊠It sits really, really badly in his stomach that he didnât go over to comfort her, like,, really bad,, Even though he DID break his promise about making she sheâll be okay when she died, itâs still like? lingering? Heâs super guilty about it for the rest of the trial, and they find out SULLY KILLED PK /AND/ AYA AND OH BOYâŠ. This weird mix of GUILT for not being there for PK when she needed him, plus ANGER towards Sully over killing PK (and Aya) in the first place?? God he canât even go find PK after the trial to see if sheâs okay because heâs SO PISSED OFF he just needs to sit outside and calm the fuck down before tracking her down again,,
They meet up after the next trial, during the⊠dead kid trials, where they actually get to talking about some?? Pretty deep stuff?? Rover apologizes for not coming over to her when he should have and PK explains, pretty vaguely, why it was she freaked out. Rover doesnât really completely understand what HAPPENED to her, but he tries to comfort her, tries to assure that her that the surgeon maybe didnât do it on purpose, maybe they made a mistake and itâs been bugging them for a really long time? Maybe they quit their job after that or maybe they got motivated to NEVER MESS UP AGAINâŠ. He admits to her that he sometimes⊠got mad at his mom, thinking that the reason she drank during her pregnancy was because she was trying to get rid of him, but she just didnât get the job done so thatâs why he is the way he is and sheâs just been lying,, of course he. Knows that isnât true, but when heâs really emotional it starts?? Feeling true?? So itâs his way of trying to comfort her fear,, like emotions making her THINK certain things that might not be true? WHEN IN FACT WE ALL KNOW THAT SURGEON DID IT ON PURPOSE RAAAAH
They talk a bit more, Rover tells her how cool she is and PK tells him how cool he is, they run around a bit to complete the trial and then they⊠And then Rover tells her she can call him Roland, is she wants. He explains that he only really lets his parents call him that, it feels really weird and wrong when other people do but, but he thinks itâs okay ifâŠ. If she calls him that.
WHICH IS⊠MMâŠ. This is going into a little bit of? How heâs starting to feel towards her. Which is OBVIOUSLY LIKE, A REALLY GOOD FRIEND, HIS BEST FRIEND AT THIS POINT, but also? Like family. Like a sister. Sheâs there for him and supportive and they both REALLY CARE FOR EACH OTHER, but the way things have been playing out, he honestly does see her more as family than anything else? Which only grows more when they continue talking, and Rover asks her if she happens to have any hair dye? Because he wants to dye his hair back to black, and when she tells him HER natural hair color is black too, they both decide to dye their hair together.
AND AAAA⊠AAAA!! PKS REASONS STILL MAKE ME,, MM,, So they head to her room and PK digs out her hair dye and while theyâre like setting stuff up I guess? Or sometime around then Rover explains that he looks a lot like his mom. Like when the two stand side by side he looks SO MUCH like her, but he stopped looking as much like her when he started dyeing his hair, which has been a while. And now he misses her, and he,, and he kind of reasons in his head that dying his hair back to its natural color will comfort him? Make him feel better⊠also like this vague sense of GROWING UP, but thatâs mostly shoved down. But then PK explains to him about how she only dyed her hair red so she could NOT look like her parents, so she didnât seem related to them at all. Itâs totally⊠the opposite from what Roverâs wanting to do now, but sheâs goes on to explain that sheâs not going to dye her hair back to look like her parents, sheâs going to dye her hair back so that she looks like ROVERâS family, so she looks related to ROVERâŠ
A VERY.. SENTIMENTAL INTERACTION.. They finish up dyeing their hair and everything is REALLY NICE and HAPPY and then Rover goes off to do Miko a favor and on the way he probably literally ruins his own life in the process. nice going son. after the trial that follows messing things up for himself, when his scared and jittery and paranoid, she
FUCKING DIES AGAIn
AND ROVER RUNS INTO HER BODY!! NICE
AND THIS IS JUST AS SUDDEN AS THE FIRST ONE LIKE?? PK WHY EVERYTHING WAS SO HAPPY AND NICE AND THINGS WERE JUST STARTING TO LOOK UP!!
So Rover obviously goes into a panic, even WORSE than the first time she died, because none of them have ANY IDEA whatâs going to happen when you die up in the mountain. Is she gone for good? Did he lose her again, forever? Noriaki explains that he just found her like that, and judging by the scene around her it looks like she fell from a ladder and snapped her neck. Thereâs no murder and there wonât be any investigation, itâs just⊠an accident. PK is just DEAD⊠and tbh Iâm not sure if itâs THAT fact that makes Rover freak out to the extent that he does, that itâs just so REAL and an ACCIDENT or if itâs because this is the second time itâs happened and he honestly thought they were going to be okay? she promised him she wouldnât leave him ever again and now sheâs?? Gone?? IS SHE GONE FOREVERâŠ
He can barely BREATHE and considers forcing himself to pass out because OOHH GOD HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THIS, SHEâS TWISTED IN A HORRIBLE WAY AND THEREâS BLOOD AND HER EYES ARE STARING AT THE CEILING AND OH GOD OH GOD CALLS USAMI UP AND BEGS HER TO FIX THINGS
He breaks down, completely, and clings to Noriaki to keep him on stable ground and when he cries himself out they stick together, hang out and try to distract themselves from what might happen to their friend.
(and cracks up bc pk dying was what really brought noriaki and rover together)Â
It takes like a few days but PK IS BACK, only they donât actually cross paths because I think PK is scared to face him? Either way they donât see each other until much later in the trial, which happens to be Hanaâs trial,, which also happens to be when they catch Miko,, and Roverâs on the floor NOT HAVING A GOOD TIME. Hana crawls over to cheer him up but PK chimes something over to him and he looks over and !! INSTANT RELIEF⊠LIKE!! LIKE SHEâS OKAY THANK GODâŠ
They donât really get a chance to REALLY interact during that trial, but Rover leaves while the execution is going, as does PK, and they meet up in the lounge and PK starts RAMBLING, trying to cheer him up and trying to apologize and she uses cool metaphors and just TALKS AND TALKS and ends up saying how much she? Cares about him? How cool he is and finishes with saying that
She loves him.
Roverâs too much of in a daze to totally reply, plus she sort of skedaddles after that, but he gets distracted with Miko things right after that so he doesnât get to really? Think about that? It isnât until a bit later, during the NEXT trial, that when he sees PK curl up against the elevator doors does what she says really kind of? Wash over him? Like he was THINKING about what she said to him before, but it was kind of more this?? vague sense of registering. like huh. Huh she loves me? Thatâs⊠hmm⊠like it not REALLY COMPLETELY CLICKING about what that means, or what SHE meant by that, because heâs numb and tired and worn out because Mikoâs death REALLY took a big toll on him and heâs just?? So tired of all of this.
But when he sees PK alone, sitting there, HIS feelings start to surface. He looks at her and thereâs this overwhelming amount of care and LOVE⊠so he walks over and sits next to her, and he starts talking, apologizing for not being around as much as he should considering heâs her friend and he made her promises, and then he shifts himself around so heâs just in front of her, leans forward so their foreheads touch and their noses squish and he tells her he loves her too.
HE TELLS HER HE LOVES HERâŠâŠ
Now Rover? Like Rover loves a lot of people, heâs a REALLY EMOTIONAL KID WE ALL KNOW THAT, but thereâs something Extra Special about when he tells it to her, because itâs different than FRIENDSHIP love, itâs like?? FAMILY⊠LIKE HEâS HONESTLY SO ATTACHED TO HER,, THEY HAVE THEIR BUMPS BUT EVERYTHING ABOUT PK HE JUST? ABSOLUTELY ADORES⊠Sheâs fun and funny and knows what to say and excitable and they LIKE so much of the same things it?? It makes sense.
But when he says that it it becomes really clear (at least for us bc. We both knew) that PK doesnât mean love like how Rover means it, she means it as in she honest to God romantically loves him. Â
Well hecko.
⊠And then we have the kiss.
In context, basically what happens is Rover, PK, and Noriaki were out on a Bayou trip together. Noriaki was still checking out something they found and Rover and PK left to go back to the boat. Theyâd planned to move and hide the boat to prank Noriaki, but it wasnât working, so they sat next to each other and Rover was rambling about different ways they could move the boat, and when he looks over to her to ask what she thought, she stutters and then⊠just kisses him. Impulsively. A.. BIT OF A HUGE THING FOR A BOY THAT STILL MAKES FACES WHEN HE SEES PEOPLE SMOOCHING⊠PLUS THIS IS?? PK??? She gives him two kisses â the first quick, something a lot like when she kisses his cheeks and forehead, so within those first few seconds he can probably like?? COME UP WITH AN EXCUSE FOR IT⊠ PROBABLY⊠MAYBE SHE JUST MISSED HIS CHEEK? OR SOMETHING LMAO
But when she pulls away she doesnât break the distance, and she hovers close and then leans back in for ANOTHER kiss, like an ACTUAL kiss this time
AND ROVERâS ????????????????Â
like he is a CHILD, he has absolutely no idea whatâs going on or WHY this is going on yeah okay it does start feeling kind of good, so he doesnât actually push away for a little bit, but when they do it comes crashing down on what just happened and man itâs SO AWKWARD, Noriaki comes back and they sit next to each other BURNING UP and Noriaki kind of eyes them like âI KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED HEREâ and the second he can he bolts off to hide.
AND DONâT YOU LOVE TEENAGE GROWTH⊠I SURE DO⊠because now Roverâs stuck sorting out his feelings. Which is pretty much: I.. think I liked that?? If I liked that then does that mean I like her? Or does it mean just I like kissing?? If I almost kissed her back does that make me a bad person if I donât like her?? How do I even know I donât like her like that?? I mean I love her but?? Is that love love or family love or? ?? MM NORMAL TEENAGE THOUGHTS.. BEAUTIFULâŠ
Like simply put, Roverâs really slow to develop romantically/sexually. Naturally heâs a really late bloomer, but heâs hardly ever been exposed to that sort of thing either! Sure, heâs got his parents, he has movies, but itâs very rarely around his age? Itâs more of a grown-up thing, something pretty foreign to him. Since he didnât have any friends, he was never around kids that dated, or talked about their crushes, or gossiped about who was dating who⊠it just never really was a thing, so he didnât think about it and never got curious about it enough to explore it himself! So while he likes PK a lot, he doesnât look at her as anything more than that. It doesnât mean that he isnât capable of doing so, but it just means that as of this moment, he isnât looking at people in that way. It isnât even a âmy friend is attractive, but I donât like her like thatâ because he⊠doesnât even see her as sexually attractive? HE KNOWS SHEâS PRETTY, AND IF HE ACTUALLY KNEW WHAT âSEXUALLY ATTRACTIVEâ MEANT AT ITâS LIKE, CORE-CORE, THEN HEâD PROBABLY THINK THAT TOWARDS HER AS WELL. BUT HE DOESNâT. He hasnât gotten to that point in his development yet.
(bee voice: LeTâS WRITE A BOY GOING THROUGH PUBERY IN A MUTUAL KILLING SETTING YEAAAAAH)
So anyway they AVOID EACH OTHER until the trial, because theyâre both flustered and Roverâs confused and re-evaluating what it was SHE meant when she told him he loves her and what exactly HE meant when he told her he loved her, so itâs just a lot of ????? But every time he catches a glimpse of her in the hall they both go red and AVOID so itâs hard to?? Judge how he feels?? IF ALL THE TIME HIS HEART RATE PICKS UPâŠ
But anyway itâs the very final trial, like just before endgame, and PK approaches Roverâs podium and they just⊠like a quiet sort of stare before PK signs an apology, and Rover takes her hand and doesnât say a word because thatâs his way of telling her itâs okay. She leans in and whispers something to him, WHICH I HAD SAVED SOMEWHERE BUT LOST ITâŠ. But it was an apology for the kiss, I think? She just doesnât want to lose him.
ROVER.. DOESNâT SAY ANYTHING.. LOL⊠but he squeezes her hand, and they enter endgame together like that.
AND⊠YES⊠WHAT A TRIP⊠endgame stuff happens and I guess they HEAD ON OVER TO DENMARK TOGETHER one way or another, and nah they donât ever get together Rover turns her down but they STAY FRIENDS⊠Â
Does she. Ever leave to go off doing her own thing I. I have no idea. Rover might honestly just take off to travel one day?? But for Sure let her know a good chunk of time in advance.Â















